Determining the Priorities

With only $3,000 available for the wedding, I want to be certain I understand what is most important to the bride on her special day.
Here is what we found:

• simple outdoor ceremony
• reception can be indoors but if outside we must have a canopy
• 1950's inspired bridal party
• Red Roses on Black tables
• and she wants a BIG, fancy gown

So now that I have those things outlined, I have my own list I needed to get started on.


We need a location! 

We started brainstorming and the bride revealed that she has considered her parents backyard but there is concern that the layout will not accommodate the event. So we looked elsewhere. We found another backyard with more than enough space and (similar to the attraction of her parents home), this venue comes with no charge! Thank goodness for family. :)

We spoke to the home owners and with their approval, decided right away we would use the area to place a large canopy and have the tables and dance area within.

Location

Wedding Challenge!

Okay folks!

I have accepted a challenge that seems nearly impossible, at least my husband thinks so. I have a meeting this Sunday with the Bride, Mother of the Bride and Maid of Honor to officially start planning a wedding which will take place in 3 months and the budget is $3,000.

Whoa! Deep breath, Felicia... you can do this.

I am actually really excited about this challenge. As it is right now, nothing (and I mean nothing!) has been purchased for the wedding reception, and for the ceremony -only the rings are bought, paid for, ready to go.

So there it is, 3 months and 3 thousand dollars. Oh, did I mention this is for approximately 100 guests and a large bridal party, including 6 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen, plus the best man, maid of honor, the bride and groom...?

My committment to you is that I will post weekly on my progess throughout this adventure. I will candidly share my struggles, successes and if at any time you think there is a better or easier way to get the results please share!

This will be exciting. Stay tuned!!

Fun with Words

 
So.... my sister's baby shower is in 3 days. She called last night and said that she doesn't know what to do to keep the guests entertained at her baby shower in between the usual games, food and gifts.

She was concerned about how little time she has before the shower and spending extra money. I informed her, that this was no problem at all.

I asked her to list off to me a few things that she thought reminded her of a baby such as pacifer, crib, diapers, etc.

Next, I used google to help me find a FREE online tool that can create word puzzles, such as Word Search and the infamous Cross Word.

I simply input the information it requested, saved it to my computer and then added the logo I had created earlier for the invitations.



The two puzzles took about 30 minutes to set up, (I had to think of creative ways to decribe formula and car seat).

And, here we are. She now has two activities for her guests to stay occupied and involved throughout the party. Now the best part is the only cost is going to be paper and ink cartridges (which she already has) to print from home.

Favors for the Bride and Groom

A current trend in weddings is the growing desire for party favors.  One of the best ways to make your celebration more unique is to have something that the guests can offer to you -beyond the gift registry…

We first used this idea in my wedding and it's starting to become somewhat of a tradition in my family. 

We went to an office supply store and bought a pack of blank(both sides) index cards. At home we typed up the wording and set the page size according to the size of the index cards. Once we found the correct font and the settings had been established we printed these cards out and later set them on the tables during the reception.  We also had a keepsake box placed on the gift table where everyone could deposit the cards.

My husband and I read the cards aloud the next day and were overjoyed with the wonderful and funny things people had to say.

It’s amazing to think these memories cost less than $5 to create!

Baby Shower for Amanda and Justin

This beautiful pregnant lady is my little sister. In these photos she was 30 weeks along. When I first approached her about taking pictures she was a little hesitant and shy, especially when I told her I want to draw on her tummy!

I grabbed a few things I thought might be useful and we drove down to the park. She wasn't too happy with the few pictures she saw that day but my creativity was in full swing and I knew these would turn out great! She saw these finished invitations today for the first time and was thrilled.

Welcome everyone!

I am excited to finally get this blog going and share my ideas for creative and inexpensive ways to enjoy your event.


If at any time you have a question about something I post or if you would like assistance with planning your own event please contact me. All feedback is welcomed! Thank you for you support.